VOL. XXIX DECEMBER 1946
NO. 12 The Three Parables Uttered by Christ at Matthew's Feast "Be Ye an Example to the Believers" Old Watch Towers and Other Literature Available The Angels' Message"For, behold, I being you good tidings great joy,
OF ALL the
proclamations found in, the blessed Book that we so much love, and which is replete with
utterances of hopeful assurance from cover to cover, there are but few that sound it exultant notes of unqualified delight as does this announcement made by those angelic messengers that hovered
over the Judean fields on that night of almost two thousand years ago, In one respect the
message differs from the great majority of those sent through the medium of the Prophets of old and which were for the
most part couched in
terms of stern reproof;
warning, or admonishment addressed to typical
people of Israel. That such givings the need hardly be wondered at in view of
Israel's repeated failure to earn divine approval. The wonder rather is that the Most
High, dwelling in those realms
of awful purity and
holiness, should have condescended to show so much mercy and forebearance through long
ages of time towards a sin-stained and rebellions people which had constantly flouted his
righteous authority and ignored his repeated appeals to their divinely instructed reason.
(Isa. 1:18 ) But this proclamation is different. It stands almost alone in its unequivocal
expression of joyous satisfaction on the part of the angels at being; made the heralds of
such a glorious announcement, one that meant almost as much to the messengers
as it did to the recipients; for have we not learned of the intense and delighted interest
which the angels have manifested repeatedly in everry phase and detail of the handiwork of
Him that "sitteth between the cherubim." - Psa. 99:1; Job 38:7. This message
may be compared in scope only to that joyous declaration of John, when in prophetic vision he became conscious of
the great chorus of praise from every living creature in heaven and earth as they hailed
the glorious culmination of
the complete plan of
salvation: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace." It was as if the
Father himself with all the angels were breathing a great sigh of relief at the successful
completion of this great, step in the wondrous undertaking. The great Logos had now been
made flesh. The gift of God's only begotten Son had been bestowed upon the world (John
3:16), and the Father was inviting all creation to share in his joy. Ignored for the moment were the long years of trial and suffering that lay ahead for
that Infant so peacefully sleeping in the manger at
Bethlehem. Ignored were the obstacles that had to be overcome before the forces of darkness and death would be
finally and forever destroyed. Nothing at this time must be permitted to interfere with the
fullness of joy that possessed the heart of the Father and that the angels seemed
to, be striving to communicate to those humble shepherds
who were staring in
speechless amazement at
the spectacle which was being unfolded before them, scarcely
daring to believe what their eyes saw and what their ears heard. Most of us
remember the frenzied joy with which this nation and the whole allied world received the
news of the unconditional surrender of their enemies and the end of the war. Over the
radio was carried the sound of the shouts of joy
and relief which came from every corner of the land as the people danced and paraded all night in the streets.
Forgotten were the years of doubt and fear and suffering that had made the coming of the
morning mail a dreaded event. All that was now in the past, and all
prospects for the future were joyous ones. Yet that was but a poor, pale reflection of
that glorious celebration of the future which the Revelator saw, and which will entail no
disappointing aftermath such as has been the case with all human celebrations. It may
perhaps have been the prospect of that universal joy that filled the hearts of the
angels with thankfulness and praise that night as they invited the shepherds to share in
their rejoicing. It may safely be assumed that their knowledge of the trying events that
lay in the future was not any more complete than is ours. We know not what awaits us, God
kindly veils our eyes. They could not have known how much suffering, had yet to be borne
before the prophecy to Joseph (Matt. 1:21) was fulfilled, and that holy Infant, grown
to manhood, would complete the task of saving his people from their sins. For the moment
they gave free rein to the joy which they shared with the mighty Author of the Plan. Their
full confidence in his power and wisdom had been amply justified, and they rejoiced before
him in praise and adoration, while we also who "see through a glass darkly" are
even now able to catch something of the thrill of that moment. For the joy they felt was
to extend to all people. Not to any one class; not merely to the
nation to which by fleshly lineage the babe belonged; no, not even to those favored ones
alone who will share in his glory or to that great multitude whose tears of chagrin will
be wiped away as they are led to living fountains of waters (Rev. 7:17), evermore to
rejoice. No, the words are all-inclusive and unqualified; the joy is to be to all people.
Many of us who have felt disappointment at our failure to touch hearts w: have never been
able to reach with the message that means so much to us can also rejoice at the certain
prospect that every ear will eventually hear those glad tidings of great joy. For
"the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
Perhaps some may cavil at the thought of the Almighty experiencing anything like a feeling
of relief, thus implying that he might have felt at some time what in a human would be
anxiety. It is undeniably true that no possible doubt as to the ultimate success of his
every plan would ever find a place in the mind of the omnipotent God of the Universe, he
who knows the end from the beginning. Yet it seems to us that he could not be the loving
and compassionate Father of whom the Son was an exact mental image unless he experienced
a feeling of loving sympathy and compassion for that loved Son in the ordeal of
suffering and death through which he must pass ere he could redeem our race and become the
Captain of our Salvation. A PICTURE FROM THE PASTAn analogy
in the Old Testament which should serve to illustrate what God must have felt is that one
which is recorded in Genesis 22 where we read that Abraham was called upon to give up in
sacrifice his son Isaac, the beloved heir to all his possessions, the one in whom all
his hopes were centered and the one whom he regarded as the medium through which all the
divine promises were to be fulfilled. Many of us have discovered that in our experiences
with the troubles of life, the anticipation of a coming ordeal frequently bears down more
heavily upon our spirits and is a greater test to our courage than is the trouble
itself when the time comes for us to face it. Our dear Master himself was affected in this
same manner, for did he not say "I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I
straitened till it be accomplished." The story of Abraham's sacrifice is told by the
narrator in plain, unembellished language, with no attempt made to play upon our emotions.
Yet one would have to be dull and unimaginative indeed if he failed to visualize
something of the anxious strain which must have wrung Abraham's heart as he looked forward
in dread to the completion of that terrible three days journey and the ordeal through
which he must pass. (Gen. 22:3, 4) Abraham may have, and probably did possess an almost
supernatural degree of faith inn order to enable him to make that fearful decision, always
trusting that God would in some mysterious way overrule the matter for the best. But even
that complete trust could not have prevented that journey from being an inexpressibly
painful one to the heart of the Father. And so likewise it must have been an equally
distressing prospect for our Heavenly Father to look forward to, knowing that at the end
of those three thousand-year days, he must voluntarily sacrifice his dearest treasure
for the sake of sinful man. So, it is our conviction that he must have breathed a great
sigh of relief when that first crucial step had been taken, the only begotten Son had left
his heavenly home, and had been made flesh in the person of that holy Infant who lay in
the manger at Bethlehem. The
immensity of God's love for his estranged children had now been demonstrated to both
angels and men, as it, is written that "God so loved the world that he gave his only
begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting
life." (John 3:16.) And a still greater degree of relief was to be the Father's
portion when, some thirty-three years later, he received back from the dead that same dear
Son with the sacrifice successfully accomplished, and the victory won. The joyous relief
that Abraham must have felt when he received Isaac figuratively from the dead (Heb.
11:19) should enable us to apprehend something of the Heavenly Father's joy on that
glorious occasion, just as the knowledge of that wondrous transaction has brought joy and
gratitude to our own hearts. But at the
time of the announcement by the angels of the Savior's birth all these events were still
in the future. For the present it was joy enough for the angels to proclaim the glad
tidings to those humble shepherds: "Unto you is born today in the city of David a
Savior who is the Lord Messiah." (Diaglott.) And then came the full chorus of the
heavenly host, voicing their joy and adoration in a great paean of praise to the mighty
One who was the author of the whole glorious Plan: "Glory to God in the highest
heavens." Concerning
the second part of the angelic hymn of praise there has been much difference of opinion
about the exact wording between the various translators. One version renders the
passage, "On earth peace, and among men, good will." To the writer, that
translator seems to have entirely missed the real point of the angels' declaration. There
was at that time neither peace nor good will among men in general, nor has there been
since, any such satisfactory condition, as the state of the world today gives ample
evidence; nor can there ever be peace and good will among men until the time comes when God's
spirit shall be poured out upon all flesh (Acts 2:17), and when men will gladly submit to
the beneficent rule of Messiah. Only then will universal peace prevail. Until that much
to be desired day comes, all "peace" conferences, however well intentioned,
must merely end in armistice -- a mere temporary truce. Men can never have true peace
among themselves until first they have peace with God. Then, just in proportion as they
draw near to him, they will also draw near to each other in mutual good will and
friendship. The glad
tidings that filled the angels' hearts with rejoicing that night was the announcement that
a new way had been found whereby peace could be established between God and man, a peace
based upon the justifying work of the One who was to save his people from their sins. Up
to that moment the only members of Adam's race who had been privileged to enter into a
condition of peace with God were, first, his faithful servants of past dispensa tions who
in the ages that had preceded the Mosaic era had like Abraham believed God and so were
accounted righteous (James 2:23); and secondly, those Israelites who, by virtue of the
yearly Atonement Day sacrifices, had obtained a standing of typical justification
before God. All others were regarded as being at enmity with God, aliens and strangers
from the covenants of promise. - Eph. 2:12. But now, in
the coming to earth of the Savior, the first step had been taken whereby "he that
believeth in the Son" might have peace with God and have the divine good will
extended to him that he might continue on and ultimately enter into full family
relationship with the Most High, "of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is
named." (Eph. 3:15.) This is the sense of the message as rendered in the Authorized
Version and is to be preferred (in the mind of the writer, at least) to some of the more
recent versions. And what a
gracious gift it was! No wonder that the thought of giving characterizes the Christmas
season. It is at this time of year, even more perhaps than at any other, that the hearts
of those who have learned the old, old story of the Father and his love should overflow in
gratitude toward the Giver of every good and perfect gift as they reflect upon his great
mercy to the children of men and upon the love that drew us to him. "Peace
with God." The mind of the uninstructed natural man finds it difficult to understand
what those words mean to those who have tasted of the good Word of God and the powers of
the Age to come. (Heb. 6:5.) Fallen man has become through the ages so accustomed to his
condition of estrangement from the Author of his being that he fails to appreciate his
loss or to realize that this is not man's normal state. To the instructed mind, peace and
harmony with God implies a condition of peace and serenity of mind which is the most
precious of treasures to those who possess it and who esteem it dearer than life itself. It is a peace which
is quite independent of all outside circumstances and conditions, and is frequently
possessed by those to whom life is a continuous ordeal of physical suffering. It may be
plainly manifest in the bearing of some who have to exist in conditions of direst poverty
and hardship and who have apparently nothing that makes life worth living. And
contrariwise, to those who lack that inner peace and contentment of mind, all the good
things of life and all material wealth become valueless. Some twenty-five or thirty years
ago, there occurred in the United States a large number of suicides, committed strangely
enough by young people who were standing on the very threshold of life with all its
possibilities yet unexplored, but who still complained that their existence had lost all
thrill for them. They had, so they said, exhausted all that life had to offer in the way
of pleasurable excitement, and feared the future promised but a dull, drab monotony, the
prospect of which they found unendurable. Here then was a tragic commentary upon the
mental state of those who had learned so little of the true meaning of life that, when the
self-pampering pleasures of the world palled upon their taste, they had nothing left which
could reconcile them to what they considered to be the dull, uninspiring business of
living. Consider in
contrast the case of the Patriarch Job. Under the buffetings of Satan he had been reduced
to penury and forced to endure every form of bodily discomfort. His own wife could see so
little hope for him that she urged him to "curse God and die." As if this were
not misery enough, his three best friends charged him with being guilty of some
concealed sin which had brought upon him divine displeasure. Throughout all his
troubles job had nothing left to console him but his consciousness of his own innocence
and his complete trust in the integrity and justice of the Most High. "Shall we
receive good at the hand of God and not receive evil?" was his defense of the honor
of God. "Though he slay me vet will I trust in him, but I will maintain mine own ways
before him." (Job 13:15.) In other words Job had peace with God and therefore a
peaceful mind. As Paul puts it, "Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1
Tim. 6:6), and in job's case it compensated him for all his sufferings. This was the
promised peace which was destined to come to earth, of which the angels sang that night so
long ago, one which, unlike any mere man-made peace; would ultimately reach all the
families of the earth as God's good will extended toward all men. Yes, a way had been
found whereby he might be just and still the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus.
(Rom. 3:26.) And in spite of the sad state of the world as we approach this Christmas of
1946, those who have trusted in the heavenly vision know that it will not lie. (Hab. 2:3.)
These know that peace like a river will yet extend from Jerusalem to all the Gentiles. -
Isa. 66:12. WHAT CHRISTMAS SHOULD MEAN TO USHow should
the "Truth people" regard the Christmas festival? Let us disregard for the time
being a chronological fact of which most Bible Students are aware, namely, 'that the
actual time of year upon which our Lord's First Advent as the man-child of Bethlehem
occurred corresponded more closely to about the first of October than it did to the
twentyfifth of December, a matter which we need not go into at this time, and let us
consider for a moment, the significance of the event from the standpoint of the human
family as a whole. If in the
esteem of those who through divine grace have been granted power to become sons of God
(John 1:12) there be one anniversary in the Christian calendar which more than any other
prompts them to especially rejoice, it is that one which commemorates our Lord's birth
as a new creature on that resurrection morning which succeeded his three days burial. In
the larger, more comprehensive sense that great event was of equal importance to all
mankind, for it was then that he became the firstfruits of them that slept, human and
spiritual alike. (1 Cor. 15:20.) But the Easter season is in a very special sense the
particular festival of the new creation, of which he was the first-born member, and so
his resurrection verified and made certain the hopes of those "who first trusted in
Christ." - Eph. 1:12. However, the
Glad Tidings of great joy which we commemorate at the Christmas season, as has been
already pointed out, were to be to all the world's people. So, accordingly, we rejoice in
company with all the world at the good news concerning the birth of the Savior at
Bethlehem. The more we learn of and strive to copy the Master's character and to become
imbued with his spirit, the greater becomes our inclination to rejoice with those who
rejoice and to weep with those who weep. (Rom. 12:15); in other words the broader and
deeper become our own sympathies with the whole groaning creation. We are well aware that
the present time is a period of fear and anxiety, which bears down heavily upon the
entire world. Ominous signs are pointing to a great judgment upon the whole of
Christendom, as every news dispatch reveals. If then we can aid in distracting the minds
of the harmless and well-meaning people of our world even temporarily from these dark
portents by joining in the celebration of the anniversary of the birth of the
Christ-child, let us participate gladly and thankfully. What better cause for rejoicing
could there be than a precious season which gladdens and enlarges the hearts of mankind
and which distributes its genial warmth among those whom he came to save! We remember that the Lord while in the flesh once
graced with his presence a marriage feast in Cana of Galilee and contributed to the
festivities by performing his first miracle in response to his mother's unspoken request
in regards to the wine, even though, as he explained, his hour (for relaxation and
enjoyment) had not yet come. (John 2:4. ) And what an ordeal of suffering he had to
endure before that hour arrived, when with his disciples he partook of the new wine (life)
in the Kingdom! - Matt. 26:29. Our friends
in the great denominations of Christendom also, those who in a sense apprehend
something of the meaning of Christmas and the song of the angels as they prophesied of
the coming peace and good will to men, these realize but little of the fiery experiences
through which mankind must pass before the Sin-offering has been completely made, humanity
released from the death sentence, and the, work of him who is to save his people from
their sins has been finished. The knowledge of the chronological features of the Plan
that we have been permitted to acquire gives us assurance that even now the "strong
man's house" is being broken up and Satan is beginning to lose the power that he has
wielded so long, to deceive the nations. Ere long the Kingdom of the saints of the Most
High (Dan. 7:27) will exercise its beneficial rule over mankind so conclusively that
men will begin to understand that "the
former things have forever passed away." How glorious will be their awakening to the
fact that the new Ruler of earth is that same wise, gentle, and loving Jesus, the
anniversary of whose birth they have been celebrating for so long at every Christmas
season. OUR REDEMPTION DRAWETH NIGHAnd what of
us highly favored ones who long ago discovered what peace with God could mean, we who have
found a refuge in the secret place of the Most High? Does that peace which our Lord
promised (John 14:27) still possess, our hearts and minds? The inspired Psalmist once
uttered these words concerning the City of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of
the Most High: "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: . . . Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be
removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." (Psa. 46:5,
2.) The indications are that ere long we may witness those conditions of which the
Psalmist spoke. Even now men's hearts are failing them for fear of the coming tempest of
trouble, and we would unquestionably share that fear had we not laid hold upon the
promises of the Word. But praise God, his truth has been and still is our shield and our
buckler. (Psa. 91:4.) So then let us at this Christmas season be strong and of a good
courage, for the Lord thy God doth go with thee. "He will not fail thee nor forsake
thee." (Deut. 31:6.) Let us participate with thankful hearts in the celebration of
the Christmas season. Let that confidence and assurance which the Lord has bestowed upon
us impel us to speak words of cheer and encouragement to those whose ears have not yet
become attuned to an appreciation of the true meaning of the angelic proclamation of
"peace on earth, good will to men." - J. R. Hughes. The Three Parables Uttered by Christ at Matthew's Feast"Who do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy
disciples fast not?" BEFORE
CONSIDERING the parables themselves, it will be helpful to note the conditions which led
our Lord to give them expression. They were uttered at the feast which Matthew, either in
the evening of the same day on which lie had been called to be a disciple, or shortly
thereafter, had prepared in our Lord's honor. - Luke 5:33-39; Mark 2:18 22; Matt.
9:9-17. There was no
lack of conversation at Matthew's table. Besides the publicans (that is to say, tax
collectors) and sinners (those who made no religious claims or professions) who reclined
with hint, there lounged in the court outside the room, or even in the room itself, many
neighbors whom the customs of the East permitted to add themselves, uninvited, to the
company. Among these were certain Pharisees, and their scribes, rabbis, and doctors of
the law, who had already been worsted in their dispute with Christ when he healed
the man who was sick of the palsy (Matt. 9:1-8); certain also of their ardent young
disciples. Some of the disciples of John the Baptist were there too. Among these
bystanders there arose a discussion, a discussion which was mainly an adverse criticism.
The. discussion turned on eating and drinking, as was natural at a least, and various
issues were raised, as for instance, whether it was not better to fast than to feast; and,
with whom was it lawful to eat. The Pharisees
did not approve of eating with "publicans and sinners"; but with a certain awe
of Jesus, and remembering how he had previously discomfited them, when he had forgiven
the paralytic his sins and cured his palsy, they first put their disapproval into the
form of a question, and then asked the question of his disciples, not venturing to ask it
directly of him. To their question: "Why eateth your Teacher with the publicans and
sinners?" his disciples not being ready with an answer, our Lord made a threefold
reply. First he cited a well known proverb: "They that be whole need not a physician,
but they that are sick." Next he advised them to learn the real significance of the
Scripture found in Hosea 6:6, "I desired mercy and not sacrifice"; and finally
he gave them a distinct declaration of the object and character of his mission: "I am
not come to call the righteous but sinners." BIGOTRY AND HOW TO MEET ITNo sooner is
the question, "Why eateth your Teacher with the publicans and sinners?" answered
than another is raised, raised first, probably, by the disciples of the Baptist. They
object, not so much to the company in which Jesus sits; for they cannot forget that the
Baptist himself called publicans and sinners to repentance (Luke 3:12); but they are
amazed that he, to whom John gave witness, should sit at a well spread table, and partake
of sumptuous fare. That was not like the Baptist. He lived in a. wilderness, on
locusts and wild honey. Was it right, was it kind, that One whom John loved so well should
feast when John was in prison? Was not fasting always better than feasting? Was it not
much more suitable and becoming in view of the times of stress through which they were
passing? The mistake
which these men made was a mistake which has been repeated many times since, a mistake
which, we trust, all of our readers as well as ourselves,
seek to avoid. It was the mistake of making themselves the standard by which all others
were to be measured, and not only measured but. condemned. Even Jesus, it seems, must
come under their censure if his thoughts were higher than their thoughts, his ways broader
than theirs. "We do this or that; we think thus and so; why don't you?.
We will lay our ban on you if you don't" -- this has been the cry of the bigot in all
ages and generations. "We do not see this feasting to be right, and therefore
it must be wrong." We cannot too carefully guard ourselves against being infected by
this self-righteous and intolerant temper which must be a thousandfold more base and
wicked than any errors of thought sincerely held. Christ was in the right, though "we
and the Pharisees" thought him wrong. When we meet
a bigot, we are tempted to meet hint in a temper as arrogant and as self-sufficient as his
own. Let us therefore the more carefully mark how the Lord Jesus met these austere bigots
of the law. Their objection lay against the new tone which he seemed to be giving, and
really was giving, to the religious life of men. They held that religion demanded a rigid
and austere life; that it enjoined fasting, abstinence from comfort and joy -- in one
word, asceticism. Their real complaint against Christ was that he was departing from this
conception of religion. What they meant was: "You are giving a festal tone to life.
You rejoice with those that rejoice, as well as weep with those that weep. You do not fast
and make your disciples fast. You go to a marriage feast as readily as to a house of
mourning. You even feast with sinners, who should do nothing but bewail their sins, and
their exclusion from our synagogues. You give an added joy, and the sanction of your presence,
to their festivities." To all of
which our Lord replies by three exquisite parables: the parable of the bridegroom and
the bridechamber; the parable of the old garment with a new patch; and the parable of the.
new wine poured into old wineskins. PARABLE OF THE BRIDE-CHAMBERFirst of all
he speaks the parable of the bride chamber. "Can the children of the bridechamber
fast while the bridegroom is with them?" "Can the friends of the bridegroom be
gloomy and mournful when he is about to be married?" This figure of a bridegroom is
one of the most precious to be found in the Scriptures. As all are aware, it is used in
the New Testament to denote the bonds of love and affection which unite our Lord, the
heavenly Bridegroom, to the Church of this Gospel Age. As St. Paul, writing to the
Church of Corinth declares: "I have espoused" [or betrothed] you to one husband,
that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." (2 Cor. 11:2.) And how the true
lovers of Jesus long for the time to come when they shall experience the consummation of
their hopes, and go in with him to the marriage-feast, entering fully and for ever into
the joys of their Lord! In the
passage before us, however, Jesus was not presenting himself as the betrothed Bridegroom
of the Church. There was no spirit-begotten Church to whom he could be betrothed when he
spoke these words at Matthew's feast. Not until after he had given his life for her sake;
not until he had been raised from the dead by the Father's power; not until he had
ascended on high, there, at the Father's right hand, to appear in his presence on her
behalf; not until the waiting followers of Jesus received the holy spirit on the day of
Pentecost, was there even the nucleus of a Church to whom, as a spirit being, he could be
betrothed. Then, indeed, it was, on the day of Pentecost, when the holy spirit was given,
that our heavenly Bridegroom betrothed the Gospel Church to himself, in love. JEWISH BRIDE REJECTS BRIDEGROOMBut the
figure of the bridegroom had been used in the Old Testament of Jehovah and his
relationship to the Jewish Church or nation. When Christ came, He came as the Father's
representative, to claim this Jewish Church for his own. "And his own," we read,
"received him not." - John 1:11. From this standpoint, this brief parable, quite
apart from the beauty and interest it has for us, had a special force both for the
disciples of the Pharisees and for the followers of the Baptist. The Pharisees held by the
"Law and the Prophets." And the Prophets had spoken of a coming Bridegroom who
should betroth Israel unto himself "in righteousness and in loving-kindness and in
mercies," who, though her "Maker," should become her "Husband"
and "Redeemer." (Isa. 62:5; Hos. 2:19, 20; Isa. 54:5.) Their own rabbis had
pronounced this "Bridegroom" to be the Messiah, and had foretold, "All
fasting shall cease in the days of Messias; there shall only be holidays and festivals,
joy and gladness and cheerful feasts." So that, by his brief parable, our Lord was
recalling their own Prophets and rabbis to the minds of the Pharisees. He was announcing
himself as the expected "Bridegroom" and "Messiah" and showing them
how even their own teachers had foreseen that the sons of the bride chamber, the
companions of the Bridegroom, should not fast in his day, but hold holiday and festival,
with joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. THE BAPTIST'S FAITHFUL WITNESSIn like
manner the parable had special meaning and force for the disciples of John. They held by their master's words. To them the Baptist was
the last and greatest of the Prophets. And when the Baptist saw all men flocking to Jesus,
he had said to his disciples: "Ye yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not
the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the Bridegroom, but
the friend of the Bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of
the Bridegroom's voice; this, my joy, therefore, is fulfilled." - John 3:28, 29. The
disciples of John could hardly fail to recall their master's words as they listened to the
parable of Christ. And as they recalled them, they would see how even the austere, ascetic
Baptist had claimed, as a son of the bride chamber, to rejoice greatly, while the
Bridegroom was with him. And if he could do so, why could not they
also? Obviously
there was a special force in the parable for both sets of critics. It referred the
disciples of the Pharisees to Hebrew prophecies of a coming Messiah and Bridegroom,
anointed with the oil of joy above his fellows, in whose days all
fasting would cease; and it referred the disciples of the Baptist to the teaching and
example of the Baptist himself-to his prophecy of a Bridegroom, and his great
joy as long as he stood and heard the Bridegroom's voice. So that, in place of meeting
these austere and narrow-hearted critics in a temper as narrow and arrogant as their
own, our Lord Jesus adopted their standards, condescended to their modes of thought, and
sought to convince them out
of their own Scriptures -- leaving us once again, an example, that we
should thus, as well as in all other respects, seek
to follow in his steps. TRUE FASTING BY GOSPEL CHURCHBut there is
a deeper meaning in his next words, a meaning which neither the disciples of the
Pharisees, nor the Baptist's disciples could grasp. As long as they have the Bridegroom
with them, the children of the bride chamber cannot fast. That they were beginning to understand.
"But the days will come," he continues, "when the Bridegroom will be taken
away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. In these words it is evident that
our Lord is thinking of the experiences of the true Gospel Church, of which the Jewish
Church was but typical. Some of these disciples of his, members of the Jewish Church,
would be transferred to the Gospel Church, and others would believe on him through their
word, all down through the Gospel Age. Throughout these centuries he, their betrothed,
would be absent. Now fasting is always associated with sorrow and trial, .and as at times
the long delay on the part of the Bridegroom would cause the heart of the waiting Church
to grow sick and discouraged, she might well fast and doubtless would. But no one would
need to urge this on her. It would not be a rite or ceremony imposed on the Church at
certain solemn seasons, but the expression of a real sentiment of grief and weariness.
It would proceed from the sorrow which the Church would feel in the absence of her
Bridegroom, and is designed to lend intensity to her prayers and to insure with greater
certainty that assistance of Jesus (the holy spirit in rich measure) which alone can
supply the place of his visible presence. - Mark 9:29; Acts 13:2, 3; 14:23. PARABLE OF THE OLD GARMENT WITH THE NEW PATCHTo the
parable of the bridechamber our Lord adds ,the parable of the old garment with the
new-patch. "No man seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment; else the new piece
that filleth it up taketh away from the old and the rent is made worse." In this
second parable our Lord again condescends to the imperfections of his critics, that he may
lead them to think more accurately, and with a broader vision, of him, and of the work he
has come to do. He states the view of the Law and of the Gospel which they (not he)
held. To them, the Law was an old cloak, a religious garb, which they had long
worn, and their fathers before them. They had honestly tried (at least some of them had)
to clothe themselves in the righteousness which is by the Law. To a large extent its
precepts had shaped their lives. Still, its ordinances were, for the most part, ordinances
of outward observances, which had not vital, or vitalizing power. It could not, as St.
Paul found out by bitter experience, give life. It was not graven on their hearts, but
only on their phylacteries and door-posts -- on the hem of their garments. It did not
touch, quicken, and renew their spirits; it was a mere robe, concealing rather than
removing, the deformities and pollutions of their moral nature. They did not
themselves deny that it was an old cloak, getting somewhat thin and
threadbare by long use. They were willing to have it patched; they were even trying to
patch it themselves. The Pharisees, besides supplementing the written law by oral
tradition, were willing to take a few hints from the teaching of John the Baptist. The
disciples of the Baptist, though as a rule they did not become Christian, were willing
to take a few hints from the teaching and example of Christ. They cut out a shred here
and a shred there from the Gospel fabric, and were sewing them on to their old garment,
the Law. But this feasting in Matthew's house perplexed them. They could
not tell what to make of it -- how to use it. It did not fit into any rent, or match with
any texture, of their hereditary cloak. They were willing to take from Christ any form
or custom which would make the Law more perfect or more suitable to the times; but this
feasting with tax collectors and sinners -- what could they make of it? This would
not give an added air of austerity or sanctity to their lives. It would neither make them
more righteous, nor even give them a wider reputation for righteousness. It might even
lessen the reputation they had. How could this patch be wrought in upon their old
garment? For their
instruction our Lord adopts their view. Virtually he says to them: "You regard the
law of Moses as an old cloak, a religious garb, rather than a religious life-form rather
than spirit. And for you, this Gospel of mine is simply a new cloak, a new religious garb,
another series of outward forms. Be consistent, then. Do not spoil both cloaks by cutting
a piece out of the new and sewing it on to the old. The new will not match with the old.
The patch of new, - undressed, unfulled, cloth, sure to shrink when once it is wetted,
will pull away from the frayed threads of the shrunk and long-worn garment, and the rent
will grow worse than ever. Either wrap yourselves, as best you may, in the scanty folds of
your ancient and tattered cloak, or fling that away, and accept in its place the new
cloak, which, you are supposing, I have come to offer men." PARABLE OF THE NEW WINE AND THE OLD WINESKINSHaving thus
taken their view, Jesus proceeds to give them his own view of both Law and Gospel in a
third parable, the parable of the new wine and the old wineskins. To him, the Law was like
old wine rather than like an old cloak -- wine which had not been without its refreshment
and cheer to those who honestly sought to regulate their lives by it, even though it could
never give them life; and the Gospel, so far from being a new cloak, a covering to be
put on, was a new wine, a new vivifying spirit, to be put within men, making them strong
and glad. The
wineskins, it would seem, would answer to the representatives of these two principles --
the Law and the Gospel. The Scribes and Pharisees at this time were sitting in Moses'
seat. They were not divinely appointed to this service, but our Lord does not blame them
for undertaking to instruct the people in reference to the mind and purposes of God, so
long as they did not assume too much in consequence of what they were doing, and if they
were consistent in themselves, conforming their conduct inner and outer, to the precepts
of Moses and the instructions of the Prophets. But this they did not do, but, as our Lord
stated, they "bound heavy burdens, and grievous to be borne, and laid them on men's
shoulders, but they themselves did not move them with one of their fingers." SELECTION OF NEW WINESKINSThese were
the representatives of the Law, at the time of Christ. They were the wineskins in which
the old wine of the Law, sadly diluted by the precepts and commandments of men, was
contained. The new wine of the Gospel represents the life-giving message which was to
flow so abundantly through the teachings of Jesus. And the wineskins were the men who were
to become the depositaries of this message, who were to preserve it for mankind. And whom,
in Israel, will Jesus choose to fulfil this mission? The old practitioners of the Law?
Pharisees puffed up with the idea of their own merit? Rabbis jaded with textual
discussions? No, indeed! Such persons have nothing to learn, nothing to receive, from him.
If associated with his Gospel, they would not fail to falsify it, by mixing up with his
pure teaching, the old prejudices with which they were imbued; or even if they should
yield their hearts, for a moment, to the lofty ideals of Jesus, it would put all their
previous views and routine devotion utterly to rout, just as new and sparkling wine
bursts a worn-out leathern or skin bottle. Where, then, shall he choose his future
instruments? Among those who have neither merit nor wisdom of their own. He needs new
wineskins, wineskins that will be able to stand the stress of the fermentation sure to
come. He needs fresh souls, whose only merit is their receptivity, new men in Christ,
new creatures in Christ Jesus. "God," prayed he on one occasion, "I thank
thee, because thou hast hidden these things front the wise and prudent, and revealed them
unto babes." (Luke 10:21.) These babes will save the truth, and it will save them.
This thought is expressed in the words "new wine must be put into new bottles, and
both [that is, both wine and wineskins] are preserved." TRUTH OF GOSPEL CANNOT BE RESTRAINEDIn other
words our Lord teaches them that it would be worse than useless to endeavor to restrain,
within the limits of their traditions and ritualisms, the powers and graces of the new
life which he came to bestow. That life could not endure to be confined
within limits so narrow, by restraints so feeble. It would rend them asunder. The new wine
must be put into new skins. Fast! Of
course, under appropriate circumstances. But his disciples should neither fast nor feast
by rule, in deference to mere customs, however antique and venerable, which. did not
naturally express their inward life. They should be fettered by no ancient law graven
on stones or inscribed on parchments, but should simply act out the laws of the life
implanted by the Gospel in their hearts. While he, the Bridegroom, was with them, it was
natural and right that they should make Merry and he glad; when he was taken away, it
would be natural and right that they should mourn and fast. Let them in each case, in
every case, follow the impulse of their renewed spirits. For himself and for them, he
claimed freedom; freedom of thought, of emotion, of action. Austere, ascetic John the
Baptist is not their ideal, still less the Pharisee, however learned, and punctilious.
They are to honor, not a hermit, nor a ritualist, but a Man, the Man Christ Jesus. He is to be their ideal, and they are to
serve him as their
hearts prompt in
perfect liberty. He is their life, and his life in them may be safely left to manifest
itself in all innocent, comely, and appropriate forms. It is a
question here, then, of the preservation of the Gospel, and of the salvation of the
individuals who are to be the depositaries of it. The old wineskins,. men such as these
carping, criticizing, Pharisees and rabbis of Judaism will not do. Mere babes, such as this tax-collector, Matthew, and his, associates,
will do better. Later on, we
find this teaching which our Lord here presents in germ, in the form of a parable,
expanded by St. Paul's labors, when, on a larger scale, the Gospel passed, from the Jews
(as a nation) to, Gentiles, to those who, out of every kindred, tribe and nation, engage
in the glorious ministry of the Gospel of his grace. OUR PRESENT-DAY PRIVILEGES AND RESPONSIBILITIESIt is
interesting, too, to notice, that this same question, namely, the preservation of the
Gospel, and the selection of those fitted to engage in its ministry, has recurred again
and again, since then; and, each time after a period of falling away, the Gospel has been
given again, and has seemed like new wine in its power to reinvigorate those whose hearts
were ready for it. Each time too, the old wineskins were rejected-new wineskins had to be
found. Luther and others of the Reformers were doubtless the new wineskins when the great
Protestant Reformation had its beginning. In our own day, the day of Protestantism's
decline, who that is at all acquainted with the facts fails to realize that our dear
Brother Russell was selected as a fit vessel, a new wineskin, to preserve and uphold the
glorious Gospel, all the wondrous features of which he clearly saw, and plainly stated, in
the harmonious unfolding of the Divine Plan of the Ages, in which we all so greatly
rejoice? How, certain it is, too, that the old wineskins, the leaders of nominal
Christianity, with all due respect to a few devout souls amongst them, were in no condition, for 'this service, and
had to be rejected for the same reasons that obtained amongst the Jewish leaders at our
Lord's first advent? How careful, too, should we be today, who have been permitted to
engage in this same ministry, that we continue to prove ourselves worthy thereof, lest
it be taken from us, and given to others more worthy, and more appreciative of the honor! OUR LORD'S GRACE TOWARD THOSE SLOW TO
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